MachixYuki2 The Fundraiser
by RoyxRizaFan
Summary: This is a sequel to my story MachixYuki Student Council Dance, though it can be read alone. What happens when the student council is put in charge of a large fundraiser for cancer? With all of them working together to get ideas, who knows what will happen
1. The Plan

"A fund raiser for Cancer, huh

"A fund raiser for Cancer, huh?" Kakeru asked as he looked over the paper in front of him, "and, of course, they want _us _to figure out how to do it and put it together." He placed down the paper with a yawn. "Yeah, we'll definitely figure out something extremely creative. Good luck, guys." He laid his head down on the desk and before anyone could stop him, he was sound asleep, snoring obnoxiously.

Nao rolled his eyes. "Once again, he leaves us to do the work, but he'll still take the credit for it."

Kimi shrugged. "You just dislike him because he's very open about your growth stunt."

"What was that?"

"Not now, you guys! This is serious. We need to think of something fun and effective!" Machi looked up, snapping back to the reality that had been hazy until Yuki's voice had woken her from her trance. She watched him closely, not hearing all he was saying, as he presented an idea for the charity to the Student Council.

Machi hadn't spoken to him at all since the dance. She didn't know what to say, and she was sure that if she did say something, it would be silly. She had never worried before if what she was saying sounded interesting to others. In fact, she had never really _wanted _to start a conversation with anyone before. Usually she tried to keep her head down and to blend in with the crowd. For some reason, she desperately wanted to capture the Student Council President's attention.

"Does that sound good?" Yuki asked about the idea he had just presented. He looked around the room until his eyes fell on Machi. "You've been awfully quiet. What do you think?"

Machi's eyes widened as she sat up. What did he mean by '_awfully quiet_?' Was she usually more talkative? She couldn't remember talking at all before. More importantly, what was the idea he had presented? She hadn't been listening. Well, at least that was one thing that hadn't changed about her!

"No!" Kimi cried, indirectly saving Machi. "I object to this suggestion! Boys should donate money to charity and in return, get a date with _me_!"

"What about the girls?" Nao asked.

"I see that hopeful look in your eyes," Kimi teased, "but no, Nao. The girls would go to _Yuki_!"

Machi didn't know if she was hearing things, but Kakeru, who was supposedly asleep, let out a quiet laugh.

Yuki shook his head violently. "No way! We need to keep this school appropriate! The teachers would never let you do that! I think that a walk would be better!"

Kimi crossed her arms, a stubborn look spreading across her face. "I'll only agree if I can wear short shorts."

With a roll of his eyes, Yuki said, "Wear whatever you want to."

Nao took out a notepad and a pencil. "Now comes the organization."

Kakeru let out a groan and sat up.

"I thought you were asleep?" Yuki raised an eyebrow.

He shrugged, rubbing his eyes. "I was until I heard Nao say a very bad word – _organization_." He looked over everyone in the room, sighing. "Why are you wasting your youth locked inside a classroom, straining your minds to come up with spectacular ideas-"

"Smart people don't feel strained!" Nao interrupted.

"-When you could be outside, at the amusement park I have season passes for, chilling with your homies?"

"Your what?"

Nao shook his head. "We don't have time for that."

"The meeting's almost over, anyway," Kimi pointed out, siding with Kakeru. "If we can get in free, why not go?"

Kakeru looked over at Yuki. "Would this be your first time at an amusement park? Will the heights be too scary for Princess Yuki?"

Yuki glared at him. "Let's see who can go on the highest roller coaster, then!"

"It's a challenge!"

Everyone ran to gather their books and bags. Yuki looked over at Machi. "You'll come too, right?"

Machi stood up, keeping her eyes focused on her shoes. "I'm not too sure…"

"Are you busy?"

"N-no…" She continued to look at the floor, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other, "I've just never been to an amusement park." She looked up and met his eyes hesitantly. She was sure he was going to laugh at her, but he was smiling.

"Neither have I, so you won't be alone," he reassured her with a smile. Then he turned and joined the others.

Machi stood still for a moment, lost in thought, before grabbing her backpack and dashing out of the room after them.

"How are we getting there?" Yuki asked the group aloud.

"I can't believe I agreed to this," Nao muttered.

"Bus," Kakeru answered, leading them to the bus stop.

The bus ride over was relatively short. Machi kept her gaze out the window, watching the white lines of the street flying by. Kakeru and Yuki teased each other as Nao sat holding his hands over his ears, squeezing his eyes shut. Kimi tried to flirt with the bus driver, and several times he almost rode into a ditch.

When they finally arrived, they rushed right to the entrance, anxious to get inside. The air was warm, but not hot, and it wasn't very crowded because of the time of day. The first ride inside was a water ride. Machi glanced at it once before turning away, not wanting to ruin her only uniform.

"YES!" Kakeru cried excitedly, rushing to it, waving his hands in the air ecstatically. "Yun-Yun! Get in line with me!"

Yuki sighed and joined him with a light smile. Kimi skipped off after them as Nao left to find lockers for all of their bags.

Machi sat down on a nearby bench, enjoying the breeze. She watched Yuki in line and how he smiled at Kimi and Kakeru. She wished she knew how to make him smile like that. He always seemed so quite and sad. But how could she make him smile if she didn't even know how to herself?

Nao returned and sat down next to her silently and they waited for the others to join them.

It seemed like hours until Yuki and the others returned from the ride. Machi looked up to see that they were soaking wet from head to toe.

Kakeru held his arms out, displaying his soaked attire. "Fashionable, right?"

Machi merely shook her head with a sigh before standing up.

"Where next?" Kimi asked, looking over the park. "Do you know where I can meet any cute guys?"

"I hope I don't," Kakeru muttered. Kimi rolled her eyes.

"I'm going off on my own for a while, then," she announced before dashing off into the crowd.

"Kimi will be Kimi," Nao groaned. "At least it'll be a little less noisy now-"

"LOOK AT THAT ROLLERCOASTER!" Kakeru screamed as loud as he could. "If it's fast enough, it can dry us off."

"I could use some drying," Yuki laughed, looking down at his uniform. He looked back up at Machi and Nao. "You two have to join us this time. No more sitting out!" He was only looking at Machi now. "If this is your first time, you have to make the most of it!"

Machi looked up at the roller coaster, not knowing what to think. She had never seen one up close before, and she felt slightly overwhelmed.

"You don't _have _to go on, though," Yuki reminded her in a softer voice.

"No," she said. "You're right. I'll go on!"

"Good job, Yun-Yun! I could never convince her to do something like that usually!" Kakeru laughed as they headed over to the roller coaster.

Kakeru made it first, rushing ahead of the group excitedly.

"He's a little too excited," Nao scoffed.

The three of them walked onto the ride, one by one, in a line. As Nao walked by, one of the people working the ride held him back.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but you're not tall enough to ride," he told him.

Nao looked at him, dumbfounded. "R-really? I'm…s-sh-sh-_short_?"

Kakeru burst out laughing. Nao shot him a dirty look before turning back to the man, who shrugged. "That guy over there said he'd slip me a twenty if I said that to you."

Nao crossed his arms and stormed off into the crowd, hissing under his breath.

Yuki hit Kakeru over the head. "That wasn't nice!"

Kakeru smirked. "That's why it's so great."

Machi looked once more at Nao as he stormed away before hurrying onto the ride. "Are you coming?" she called to Kakeru and Yuki.

They rushed after her and hopped onto the ride. Yuki sat next to Machi.

The ride started up with a clang and they began to slowly move up a hill. People watched them moving up, higher and higher, becoming smaller by the second. Treetops were beneath them as they continued upward. The entire park was visible. Machi looked down, seeing how far away the ground was, and felt her head beginning to spin. Wasn't it dangerous to be this high? She was going to fall. She knew it. She was going to fall! Her head began pounded and she could feel the blood rushing out of her cheeks.

They had reached the top. Below her was a large hill. They were going to drop straight down! Machi gripped onto the bar in front of her frantically, shutting her eyes tightly. As they plummeted down, she felt the air being knocked out of her lungs and her head being thrown backward, banging against the seat. Around her, people screamed loudly, adding to her headache. She tried to imagine she was somewhere else, but where was there to go? Was there a place she could imagine that would make her feel safer? She couldn't think of one.

She squinted her eyes open to find that she was upside down. She shut them again, not knowing how people could find this fun.

At last, the ride halted to a sudden stop, jolting her forward before she fell back again. A distant voice told everyone to remove their safety harnesses and to exit the ride. Something that sounded like Kakeru's voice complained that the ride had been too short.

Machi lifted her shaky arms and removed the harness, standing up on wobbly feet. The world seemed to swirl and she couldn't tell if she was still upside down or not. She tried to take a step forward, but she almost lost her balance and fell. Before she attempted another one, she felt an arm wrap around her waist and hoist her into a standing position. She leaned against the person's shoulder, finding it less difficult to walk forward.

At last, she felt herself sitting on a bench. She leaned her head back and tried to catch her breath. As she drifted back to reality, she immediately wondered if Yuki had seen her in this embarrassing state. Her eyes flew open with a jolt and she looked up to see who had helped her. Of course, it _was _Yuki. Kakeru was nowhere in sight.

She gasped. "I-I'm sorry!" He had come to have fun, but instead he had to sit around and wait until she woke up. She felt the color rapidly returning to her cheeks. "I'm sorry you had to waste your time like that when you could be with Kakeru and the others. I shouldn't have started out with such a huge ride."

"Don't apologize," he told her. "I was happy to get a break from Kakeru. He can be exhausting." He laughed. "More importantly, are you feeling better?"

She was about to respond when Kakeru popped up behind Yuki, flapping his arms around his head excitedly. "Machi! Yun-Yun! I made friends with Bob the Clown! Come meet him!" He pointed to a huge man who was chasing children with a seltzer spray.

"I'm feeling better, in case you were wondering," Machi muttered irritably.

"So you were goofing off this whole time your sister was sick?" Yuki demanded.

Machi stood up with a sigh, no longer dizzy. "I should be alright to walk around, so you guys don't have to sit around waiting for me. I think I'll just look at the souvenirs or something…"

Kakeru raised his hand, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Oh! Oh! Me too! I want to buy useless crap I don't need, too!"

The three of them set off to the nearest (air conditioned) gift shop. Machi scanned the shelves, looking for something to buy for Yuki. She wanted to thank him for waiting for her while she was sick. There wasn't much to chose from, though. It was either a huge T-shirt, a postcard, or a pen with his name on it. She still continued searching, becoming more and more discouraged until she settled with a mug that pictured the gardens in the park, figuring that the planter in him would appreciate it.

On her way to the check out, a small key chain caught her eye, probably because it was red. She looked a little closer and noticed it was a mouse. It had large, black, innocent eyes and huge ears, as if it wanted to listen closely to what she had to say. Somehow, it reminded her of Yuki, though she couldn't realize why. She lifted it with one of her fingers to get a closer look at it.

"Red, huh?" Kakeru's voice came from behind her. "You like _red_, huh? Get it, Machi? You like _red!_"

Even though he had used that one on her before, Machi felt her cheeks turning the color he had referred to. "Yes, Kakeru, I like the _color _red."

"And the Student Council Red…"

Machi put down the key chain and stormed up to the counter, slamming down the mug. Kakeru laughed before disappearing behind another display.

After she paid, Machi stormed out of the shop into the warm spring air. She leaned against a tree and waited for Yuki…or Kakeru…to come out.

Luckily, Yuki was the first one to come. He walked out, holding a small bag in one of his hands. Machi crossed her fingers, hoping that he hadn't bought himself the same mug she just had.

"What did you get?" he asked curiously, eyeing her bag.

Feeling the color returning to her face, she handed the bag over to him, not meeting his gaze. "It's just a thank you is all. All right? So don't get all sentimental and thanking _me_…"

Not listening, he looked up from the mug, smiling. "You didn't have to do that! Thanks, Machi! That was really thoughtful!" He held out his bag to her. "I saw you looking at that key chain and figured you would have bought it if Kakeru hadn't bugged you." She gasped, wondering if he had heard their conversation, but as if he had read her mind, he added, "I didn't hear what he was saying, but it looked like he was teasing you again."

She took it smiling slightly. "He was. But it's OK. Thanks…" She took out the key chain and smiled a little wider. "I don't know why, but I've always liked mice better than cats. I always felt bad that the cat was bugging the mouse, chasing it all the time and such…"

Yuki shrugged. "I'm sure the mouse is fine, and that the cat can get annoyed that it can always somehow out run it." He looked off into the distance, a thoughtful look on his face. Machi looked at him, then down and her key chain and back. His innocent expression matched that of the mouse perfectly. Maybe he really _was _like a mouse – always struggling to survive, but coming out victorious, just like her. She smiled silently and he finally looked back at her, meeting her eyes.

"Thank you. I'll put it on my backpack so it will always be with me," she said.

He smiled back. "Thank _you_, too."

Their eyes met for a moment, and they lingered there for a while, just standing there, looking at each other, with their minds blank. To Machi, the moment lasted too shortly before Kimi's voice came up, demanding that she be bought a souvenir, too.

As the four of them (forgetting Nao) left the park, Machi thought over her small moments with Yuki Sohma that day. Once again, he had brought out some strange emotions in her. She looked over at him, finding that she, too, was trying to catch the mysterious mouse that was hard to get a hold of.


	2. The Walk

"Okay, we can do this. I'm sure we can. We can get along for fifteen minutes to brainstorm for an idea for the Cancer Fundraiser. We can do this!"

"Sure we can," Nao muttered in a sarcastic tone. Yuki shot him a look.

"Not with _that _attitude, we can't! We can argue some other time! Right now, we need to start coming up with ideas! Today's the deadline!" Yuki told the group.

"You know," Kakeru piped up, "I have season passes to an awesome water park-"

Yuki frowned. "No more distractions!"

"Aw, Princess Yuki is in a bad mood! Did you get up on the wrong side of your canopy bed?"

_Bang_.

"Now, does anyone have any suggestions?" Yuki asked, stepping up to the white board that Kimi had gotten for them.

"I liked your idea for the walk," Nao answered. "It's simple and anyone can do it!"

"Boring!" Kakeru sang, rubbing his head from Yuki's hit. "I still like my idea about the dates. We can auction them off and make mega cash for this!" He smiled thoughtfully into the distance.

Kimi nodded, her curls bobbing up and down. "Kimi agrees! This is the best idea! We can make _so _much money for this! We'll auction a date with me for the boys and a date with Yuki for the girls!"

Machi frowned. For some reason, she didn't like this idea. It was for a good cause, but all those fan club girls didn't know the real Yuki and didn't deserve to go on a date with him. She knew her logic was…well…_illogical _but she still felt that way. She felt her cheeks beginning to burn as she looked up, addressing the student council. "I think that the walk is the best idea."

"Of course you do," Kakeru muttered, an amused smirk on his face.

Machi felt her cheeks turning even darker. "And what's _that _supposed to mean?" she snapped, turning into her more irritable form.

He shrugged. "Hm…what _do _I mean, Machi?"

"Let's compromise," Nao interrupted. "How about we do _both _fundraisers and get _twice _the money?"  
"Kimi agrees! Yuki said Kimi could wear short shorts, so Kimi agrees!"

Kakeru groaned. "Come on! No compromise! Don't give in to the enemy!"

"I'm the enemy?" Yuki demanded.

"What does Machi say?" Kimi asked.

Machi was still bright red and frowning. "No compromise. Your idea makes no sense and the teachers will never allow it!"  
Kimi laughed. "The teachers will be _joining in_, probably! At least the male ones."

"Yeah, how do you think she got the white board?" Nao asked.

Machi sunk back in her chair. "You're the ones who asked." She was surprised how much she was talking today. Usually she wasn't very open about her opinions during the meetings. Today, she was adamant that the walk was the best idea, though.

Yuki sighed, looking over everyone's expressions. "I think the compromise is the best thing for us to do," he concluded, "though I'd be lying if I said I was looking forward to it."

Machi looked up, shocked that he was agreeing to this. She thought he'd be more reasonable than that.

Everyone collected their books and filed out of the room. Machi hung back, stalling, hoping that Yuki might try to explain his reasoning.

"I never thought you'd agree to that," she said.

He smiled sadly at her. "I wish I hadn't, actually, but if I had insisted on my idea only, we'd be here all night arguing about it. A compromise seemed to be the only way. Besides, if it's for a good cause, I guess I can suck it up for one date."

The walk was only a week after their decision. The student population had been very supportive of it, and everyone who could make it came. Even more so, they were looking forward to the second part of the fundraiser, which would take place the next week.

They walked along the nearest bike trail, talking noisily about the upcoming auction and other school events. Machi and the student council walked towards the front of the line.

"See? I _did _wear my shorts!" Kimi squealed. "They're lovely, aren't they? I'm going to go show them off." She slowed down, slipping into the crowd.

Kakeru yawned. "Man, I hate exercise. It doesn't help that it's so hot out today, either. You suck, Yun-Yun! This walk was the lamest idea ever."

"Your attitude is what sucks," he retorted. "Can't you think of someone else for once?"

He fell silent, considering it. "That _may _be difficult," he responded with a sarcastic smile.

Nao took a sip of his water bottle. "It _is _little hotter than I would have liked today, though. I can actually agree with Kakeru there."

"Wow, mark your calendars! Nao agreed with Kakeru!" Yuki joked.

It _was _extremely hot. Machi wished she hadn't worn such thick sweatpants. Everyone else had on shorts. She was sure to start sweating and her pale face would probably turn very red. She wished Yuki weren't walking next to her to see this all about to happen!

"Hey, Yuki!" Kyo called from behind them. "Why are you walking so slow? You're falling behind!"

"You're farther back than me, idiot," Yuki shouted over his shoulder.

Kyo clenched his fanglike teeth together. "Let's see who's the idiot – I'll _race _you!"

In less than a second, the cousins had run off far ahead of Nao, Kakeru, and Machi.

"Kyo and Yuki never change," a high-pitched voice came from behind her. Machi turned around to see Tohru Honda walking towards her. She was an upperclassmen and a close friend of Yuki's, though Machi was unsure of just _how _close she was.

As she approached, Kakeru seemed to vanish into the crowd.

"You're Machi Kuragi, right?" she asked. "Yuki's told us about you! You're in student council with him! This walk was a great idea."

"Thank you," she responded, wondering why she had suddenly begun talking to her. Most people avoided her completely. Except for Yuki. "I can't take credit for it, though, Honda-senpai. The President arranged the entire thing."

Tohru seemed shocked by the way Machi had referred to him. "I'm sure he wasn't the one who came up with the idea for the auction, though?"

Nao laughed. "As if!"

"It was another member named Kimi," Machi answered robotically, wishing the girl would leave her be.

"Oh! That makes sense. Poor Yuki would never agree to something like that on his own!"

"I should hope not," Machi muttered.

"It's a walk, though, not a run," Nao scoffed. "He and his cousin are complete morons. I don't understand how they're so popular!"

"Oh, they can be very competitive," Tohru agreed, "but they're both very kind."

Machi could agree with her about Yuki, but even though she didn't know Kyo, he didn't seem too bright…or friendly. Most of Yuki's relatives were a little crazy, though.

Nao coughed, looking down at his empty water bottle. "I'm going to get some more water. Do you guys want some?"

"Thank you very much!" Tohru grinned.

Machi winced. Tohru seemed so perfect in looks and personality. If Yuki and her were close…

Once Nao was gone, Machi turned back to Tohru. "So, how long have you known Yuki?"

Tohru smiled thoughtfully. "It's been two years!" she answered. "He's a very good friend!"

Machi nodded. "You two seem very close."

Tohru seemed to catch the tone in Machi's voice. Her bright smile softened a bit. "Yes. We're good _friends_."

Machi felt such relief that she almost smiled back, but then confusion prevented it from coming. Why was she so curious about Yuki's love life? It wasn't any of her business.

"Hey, Tohru!"

Tohru turned around and spotted some of the friends. "It was nice talking to you, Machi!" she called as she rushed over to her friends.

Machi walked the rest of the way alone (Nao seemed to have used the water as an excuse to ditch the walk). She kept her eyes on her feet, thinking over how strange she had been acting lately and trying to connect the pieces. None of it seemed to make sense to her anymore.

An hour later, she finished the race. She wandered away from the rest of the group, looking for something to drink.

"Machi!" a voice she recognized as Kakeru's called. She spun around to see that he was standing in front of the door to the nurse's office. "Yuki tripped and twisted his ankle during the run!"

Machi gasped, rushing over to him. "Is he alright?"

"He's lying down in the nurse's office right now," he answered. "You should go in and see how he's doing."

Machi nodded, not bothering to ask why he wouldn't come in with her. She slipped past him and into the nurse's office.

It was empty other than Tohru, Kyo, and, of course, Yuki, who was sitting down on one of the beds.

"Machi!" he called as she came inside. "You came!"

"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly, rushing over to sit next to him. "What happened?"

"The moron was no match for me," Kyo answered. "He tripped and twisted his ankle."

Yuki groaned. Machi bit her tongue. Now she was _sure _Kyo was a jerk.

Tohru grabbed Kyo by the sleeve and dragged him outside. "Give him a break, Kyo!"

Machi looked down at her lap. She was alone with Yuki now.

"Do you now how long you're going to be in here?" she asked him.

He sighed. "Not too long, but I won't be returning to my classes today."

She looked over at him uncertainly. "If you tell me your room numbers, I can collect your work for you and bring it here after school."

Yuki grinned. "Don't be silly, Machi. I'll have someone from my classes pick them up for me. Thanks, though."

Machi turned back to her lap, feeling a little stupid. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"Would you mind duct taping Kyo's mouth? He's never going to let me live this one down."

Machi actually laughed. "No, really. I want to help. I feel bad that you got hurt." She felt her cheeks burning, but not because of the walk.

He cocked his head so he could see her face, which was hidden behind her hair. She finally turned to look at him.

"You already have," he answered. "Thanks for visiting me."

"You should be getting to class," the nurse told her, "you're late already."

Machi jumped up and slipped out of the room.

Outside, Tohru stood alone, waiting. She grinned at Machi as she shut the door behind her.

"He was in a bad mood after tripping," she told her, "mostly because Kyo kept bugging him about it. But he seemed very happy that you came." Her eyes even seemed to be smiling. "Thanks, Machi."

Machi somehow found herself smiling at Tohru. "I'm just happy he's feeling better."

The two of them walked back to the main entrance together.


	3. The Auction

That any teacher had agreed to this outrageous fundraiser was unbelievable, especially to Machi

That any teacher had agreed to this outrageous fundraiser was unbelievable, especially to Machi. She stood in the back of the auditorium, managing the concession stand, watching the stage nervously as she waited for Yuki and Kimi to walk onto it and auction themselves off for a date.

Her heart beat so hard in her ears that she could hardly hear the order of the girl in front of her. She wasn't quite sure why she was so anxious – it wasn't like _she _was the one who had to walk up on stage and humiliate herself. Despite this, for some reason her hands were shaking a lot and she felt a slight resentment for each student that entered the auditorium.

Usually school affairs didn't make her so excited. She would sit in the back, like she was now, and pretend she was listening. Lately she had been a lot more active in school (well, student council and the fundraiser) and more excited for each day. She wasn't drifting along robotically like she had been before. What had changed this? She had no idea, and she wasn't too willing to find out. Whatever it was, she was sure it wasn't pleasant.

Kakeru stepped up to the microphone and gave a quick welcome speech. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, ecstatic about being able to make an idiot out of Yuki. He hardly even mentioned where the money was going to, even though it was the entire point of the auction.

It was, wasn't it?

Kimi stepped up first, and the boys went crazy, jumping out of their seats and whistling over at her, crying out numbers at random. Machi cringed. Next time, they'd have to make it a silent auction.

It didn't take long for the boys, who were too quick to throw out large numbers, to run out of money. At last, a winner was decided on and Kimi skipped off the stage to go meet the boy and set up a date. As they left the auditorium, all the losers glared at the couple. The winner probably would be eating lunch alone for a week.

Machi's already speeding heart rate doubled when Yuki stepped onto the stage. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Of course, the reason she was getting so upset was because she felt bad that he had to do this. That was why – nothing else.

Now it was the squealing of the females in the auditorium that was piercing Machi's ears. They screamed out numbers, and some of them just plain screamed, bouncing in their seats. Once again, it was only a matter of minutes before a winner was decided. A first year girl with short blonde hair anxiously followed Yuki outside to set up a date.

Everyone began filing out in the opposite direction that Yuki and the girl had gone in. Machi's eyes darted back and forth, scanning the room, before going out after Yuki.

She crept down the dark hall. At the end of it was the door leading outside. She leaned against the wall, enveloped in the shadows, and tried to catch as many words as she could from the couple.

"Friday…China House…six…meet you there…"

Machi knew what she needed to know. She turned and dashed back after the crowd, hoping no one had seen her.

Of course, Kakeru just happened to be leaving as she emerged from the dark hall. His eyes widened once before filling with amusement, and he burst into laughter, pointing at her. "You jealous little-"

"I'm not jealous!" she snapped, feeling her face turning red. "I don't get jealous."

Kakeru rolled his eyes, walking beside her for the exit. "Machi, Machi, dear, foolish little Machi. You're so afraid to let yourself change, aren't you? Scared, are you? I guess you _have _been the same way for a _long _time, but you can't stay like this forever. It's not bad to like someone, you know, especially Prince Yu-"

"I don't like _anyone_," she hissed, becoming impatient. Kakeru could be so annoying!

Kakeru crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "Then why were you out there, listening in to their conversation?"

Machi was ready to shoot back another comeback, but paused, not knowing what to say. He was right, wasn't he? What _had _she been doing over there? What did she care where or when the two were meeting for their date? It shouldn't make a difference to her. Could she be jealous? No, impossible…

But not as impossible as she thought.

--

The only reason Machi happened to pass by the China House restaurant on Friday around six thirty wasn't because Yuki was there. According to her, that wasn't a reason at all. The convenience store across the street was selling food at a discount, and she was running out. This was her only reason for going there that evening, or so she told herself.

She bought her food and left, eyeing the restaurant across the way. The crosswalk was directly to her right. If she wanted, she could pass by, and sneak a peek…

_There's more light on the other side of the street_, she told herself, _I should probably walk home over there_.

She crossed, slowly pacing by the China House. She looked inside from the corner of her eye, spotting Yuki sitting alone at one of the tables. He was on his cell phone, listening to someone on the other end. A frown was forming on his lips.

Machi was extremely curious, and wished she could hear the conversation. She slowed down a little more as she passed by the window.

The door swung open just as she began to pass it, hitting the bag out of her hands. She gasped, jumping backwards. Yuki jumped out from behind the door.

"I'm so sorry…!" he began, before realizing who it is he had bumped into. A smile began to spread across his face, replacing his frown, as he bent over to pick her things up. "What are you doing over here, Machi?"

Blushing, she knelt down and began roughly shoving her purchases back into her bag. "Nothing! I'm not doing anything at all!"

"Really?" She looked up, confused by the excitement in his voice. He smiled again, handing over a soda can to her. "Then would you care to join me? My date can't make it. She's been…well…" A smirk formed on his lips "grounded, actually. Apparently the auction went past her curfew the other night."

Machi felt like laughing for some reason. She began to return his smile without willingly doing so.

"Will you join me?" he asked, taking her arm and pulling her to her feet.

She took a deep breath, nodding slowly. "I guess so. It wouldn't hurt, would it?"

"Not if you're free."

She nodded again. "Sure, then."

Yuki grinned. "Great!" He held out the door and she slipped inside the restaurant, not entirely believing what was happening.

He led her back to the table he had just left, and she took the seat across from him, placing her bag next to her chair. She buried her face behind a menu, waiting for it to return to its usual color.

How had she ended up here, on a _date _with Yuki Sohma? She had just been doing some innocent grocery shopping, hadn't she? What a strange coincidence that his date would bail out just as she passed by the restaurant…

Strange, but yet, somehow nice. Machi lowered her menu, feeling most of the color sinking off of her cheeks. She flashed Yuki a smile as the waitress came over to get their order for drinks.

Maybe it was a coincidence, but it was a nice one with a lot of promise nonetheless.


End file.
